Civil Resistance
Introduction
The crisis of Apartheid in the 1980s Source based
• Government attempts to reform apartheid (the 1982 Urban Bantu
Authorities Act; the tricameral system)
• Internal resistance to reforms
• Growing power of the Trade Union Movement from 1973
• Response to Botha’s ‘reforms’ – new methods of mobilisation
(labour’s ‘rolling mass action’, roles of civics, UDF, Mass Democratic
Movement and End Conscription Campaign)
Civil Resistance in South Africa
The Soweto Uprising of 1976 changed the political landscape of South
Africa forever. Resistance intensified, international pressure against the
government increased and the economy went into serious decline. The
South African government began to feel increasingly threatened.
In 1978 P.W Botha succeeded B.J Vorster as prime minster\
,PW Botha
A native of the Orange Free State, he studied law at the University of
Orange Free State at Bloemfontein from 1932 to 1935 but left without
graduating. Already active in politics in his teens, he moved to Cape
Province at age 20 to become a full-time organizer for the National
Party. He was elected to Parliament in the National landslide of 1948.
By 1958 he was deputy minister of the interior, and thereafter (1961–
80) he was successively minister of commercial
development, Coloured affairs, public works, and defense. He
succeeded to the prime ministry upon the resignation of B.J. Vorster in
1978.
Botha’s government faced serious foreign and domestic difficulties.
The coming to power of Black governments in Mozambique, Angola,
and Zimbabwe gave new energy to Black South African nationalists
and the South West African People’s Organization (SWAPO). Other
developments led to frequent Black student and labour unrest in
South Africa itself, especially in 1980. Botha responded with a military
policy that included frequent South African raids combined with
support for antigovernment groups in the border states, seeking to
weaken the Angolan, Mozambican, and Zimbabwean governments.
Botha also refused to withdraw from Namibia, though he continued
negotiations on the question.
He combined this foreign policy with a program of reforms at home—
such as the policy of granting “independence” to various Black
homelands—that were meant at once to mollify international public
opinion while dividing his nonwhite domestic opposition. A key point in
this program was the promulgation of a new constitution, which
granted very limited powers to Asians and Coloureds but which made
no concessions to the Black majority. Though the proposed reforms
maintained white supremacy, to which Botha was fully committed, the
right wing of the National Party split away in protest in 1982 to form
the Conservative Party. Botha was still able to get the constitution
passed by referendum of whites in 1983. The following year he was
elected under the new constitution as state president by an electoral
college selected from the racially segregated, white-dominated
Parliament. During his term in office, Botha sought (with limited
success) to find some middle ground between those who fully
supported apartheid and the increasingly frustrated and militant
nonwhite population; although his actions alienated many National
Party supporters, they were not enough to appease those seeking the
end of apartheid. Early in 1989 Botha fell ill and resigned his post as
party leader, but he did not yield the presidency until he faced
opposition not only from the National Party but from within his own
, Cabinet. He was succeeded by F.W. de Klerk, who introduced radical
policy changes that led to the dismantling of the apartheid system and
paved the way for the country’s first multiracial elections in 1994.
Government attempts to reform apartheid
P.W Botha was determined to keep South Africa under white control.
His government believed that white South Africa was under threat
from communist forces within and outside of South Africa. He called
this threat the TOTAL ONSLAUGHT.
To counteract this total onslaught Botha adopted TOTAL
STRATEGY in which he installed tough counter measures to prevent
further resistance and to retain power.
• He increased the army and enforced 2 years of conscription
the constant presence of the Military in the townships were a
regular scene in the 1980’s
• Banned all anti – apartheid organizations and meetings
• Police given more power (state of emergency declared)
• Newspapers that were not supportive of Apartheid were shut
down
• Kept friendly relations in neighboring countries and banned
ANC bases in these countries were only some examples of the
reforms Botha implemented to curb communism.
The aim of these measures was to stamp out fierce resistance by
increasing security measures, win the support of black middle class
by introducing reforms and appease the Western powers by making
apartheid look less racist. To maintain white rule apartheid needed to
be changed. These so-called reforms were superficial changes and
met with growing resistance which led to the 1980’s becoming the
most violent period in South African History.
Introduction
The crisis of Apartheid in the 1980s Source based
• Government attempts to reform apartheid (the 1982 Urban Bantu
Authorities Act; the tricameral system)
• Internal resistance to reforms
• Growing power of the Trade Union Movement from 1973
• Response to Botha’s ‘reforms’ – new methods of mobilisation
(labour’s ‘rolling mass action’, roles of civics, UDF, Mass Democratic
Movement and End Conscription Campaign)
Civil Resistance in South Africa
The Soweto Uprising of 1976 changed the political landscape of South
Africa forever. Resistance intensified, international pressure against the
government increased and the economy went into serious decline. The
South African government began to feel increasingly threatened.
In 1978 P.W Botha succeeded B.J Vorster as prime minster\
,PW Botha
A native of the Orange Free State, he studied law at the University of
Orange Free State at Bloemfontein from 1932 to 1935 but left without
graduating. Already active in politics in his teens, he moved to Cape
Province at age 20 to become a full-time organizer for the National
Party. He was elected to Parliament in the National landslide of 1948.
By 1958 he was deputy minister of the interior, and thereafter (1961–
80) he was successively minister of commercial
development, Coloured affairs, public works, and defense. He
succeeded to the prime ministry upon the resignation of B.J. Vorster in
1978.
Botha’s government faced serious foreign and domestic difficulties.
The coming to power of Black governments in Mozambique, Angola,
and Zimbabwe gave new energy to Black South African nationalists
and the South West African People’s Organization (SWAPO). Other
developments led to frequent Black student and labour unrest in
South Africa itself, especially in 1980. Botha responded with a military
policy that included frequent South African raids combined with
support for antigovernment groups in the border states, seeking to
weaken the Angolan, Mozambican, and Zimbabwean governments.
Botha also refused to withdraw from Namibia, though he continued
negotiations on the question.
He combined this foreign policy with a program of reforms at home—
such as the policy of granting “independence” to various Black
homelands—that were meant at once to mollify international public
opinion while dividing his nonwhite domestic opposition. A key point in
this program was the promulgation of a new constitution, which
granted very limited powers to Asians and Coloureds but which made
no concessions to the Black majority. Though the proposed reforms
maintained white supremacy, to which Botha was fully committed, the
right wing of the National Party split away in protest in 1982 to form
the Conservative Party. Botha was still able to get the constitution
passed by referendum of whites in 1983. The following year he was
elected under the new constitution as state president by an electoral
college selected from the racially segregated, white-dominated
Parliament. During his term in office, Botha sought (with limited
success) to find some middle ground between those who fully
supported apartheid and the increasingly frustrated and militant
nonwhite population; although his actions alienated many National
Party supporters, they were not enough to appease those seeking the
end of apartheid. Early in 1989 Botha fell ill and resigned his post as
party leader, but he did not yield the presidency until he faced
opposition not only from the National Party but from within his own
, Cabinet. He was succeeded by F.W. de Klerk, who introduced radical
policy changes that led to the dismantling of the apartheid system and
paved the way for the country’s first multiracial elections in 1994.
Government attempts to reform apartheid
P.W Botha was determined to keep South Africa under white control.
His government believed that white South Africa was under threat
from communist forces within and outside of South Africa. He called
this threat the TOTAL ONSLAUGHT.
To counteract this total onslaught Botha adopted TOTAL
STRATEGY in which he installed tough counter measures to prevent
further resistance and to retain power.
• He increased the army and enforced 2 years of conscription
the constant presence of the Military in the townships were a
regular scene in the 1980’s
• Banned all anti – apartheid organizations and meetings
• Police given more power (state of emergency declared)
• Newspapers that were not supportive of Apartheid were shut
down
• Kept friendly relations in neighboring countries and banned
ANC bases in these countries were only some examples of the
reforms Botha implemented to curb communism.
The aim of these measures was to stamp out fierce resistance by
increasing security measures, win the support of black middle class
by introducing reforms and appease the Western powers by making
apartheid look less racist. To maintain white rule apartheid needed to
be changed. These so-called reforms were superficial changes and
met with growing resistance which led to the 1980’s becoming the
most violent period in South African History.
